Seeds from two trees that survived the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima at the end of World War Two are being grown at Keele University, as part of an international project to promote peace and hope.  

The seeds were collected from an oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) in the grounds of the Tenma Elementary School – which was destroyed by the bombing – and a 200-year-old ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) growing in Shukkeien Garden. Both trees were situated less than a mile from the bomb site on 6 August 1945 and miraculously survived the bombing. 

They will now be cared for by experts at the university until they become tall and sturdy enough to be planted in the ground. The seeds were sent to Keele through the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative, which aims to distribute seeds and saplings from ‘survivor trees’ worldwide.  

Dr Sarah Taylor, a lecturer in ecology at Keele, said: “It is a great honour to have the opportunity to nurture seeds from trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing.  

“Now that we have the seeds, we can begin quite a long painstaking process of propagation and nurturing. The seeds will be sown onto compost and kept in heated plant propagators until signs of germination appear.  

“The seedlings will need to be nurtured for several years before they are large enough to plant on the university campus, where we hope they will be a source of reflection and inspiration for a long time.  

“Although they are tiny right now, they are still very powerful symbols of peace and hope and have so much history connected to them. It’s going to be exciting to see the first green shoots rise from the earth.” 
 
Keele is the 19th UK partner of the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative. The project was brought to the attention of the University’s arboretum committee by Franco Castro Escobar following his postgraduate research trip to Hiroshima in the summer of 2024.  
  
Franco said: “Keele has a special connection with Japan through the collection of cherry trees that we have on our campus, and this project will build on that relationship.”   

Sarah will be keeping a regular blog on the progress of the seeds. To view the blog, click here.